Zeng Book vs Xero for Singapore renovation contractors
Xero is built for accountants. Zeng Book is built for the construction site. Here is when each one wins, and when you need both.
By Zeng Book Team
The quick answer
Xero is an accounting platform — designed for bookkeepers and accountants who reconcile transactions, run trial balances, and file GST F5 returns. Zeng Book is a project and invoicing platform for the people on site — quoting clients, tracking projects, issuing progress claims, and collecting retention.
If your renovation firm in Singapore only sees an accountant once a quarter, you almost certainly need both: Zeng Book for the day-to-day operations, Xero for the books. The two aren't direct competitors — they sit at different layers of the stack.
Who actually uses each one?
Xero shines when there is someone in the firm whose job is to look after the chart of accounts, bank reconciliation, and statutory filings. That person tends to be an outsourced accountant or, in larger firms, a part-time finance admin.
Zeng Book shines when the people generating revenue — the project managers, the renovation foremen, the interior designers — need to send quotations, convert them to invoices the moment a job is confirmed, and chase payment without opening Excel. Most of our customers are using Zeng Book on a phone, on site, between appointments.
Where construction firms get stuck on Xero
Xero is excellent for retail, F&B, professional services, and SaaS. It struggles in construction because its invoice model assumes one invoice per job. Construction in Singapore doesn't work that way:
- Quotations come first.You need a BQ-style quote with line items grouped into sections (carpentry, electrical, tiling, etc.) before any invoice exists. Xero's "quote" feature is a flat line-item list — no sections, no BQ structure.
- Retention is a percentage off the top. Typical renovation contracts withhold 5–10% retention until defects-liability period ends. Xero treats this as a manual adjustment; you have to remember to add a negative line item to every claim.
- Progress claims accumulate.A $200,000 renovation might generate 8 progress claims over 6 months. Each one references the original BQ and shows cumulative-to-date numbers. Xero treats each claim as an isolated invoice — there's no native concept of "previously claimed."
- GST changes mid-project. Singapore raised GST from 7% to 8% in 2023 and to 9% in 2024. A long-running project might have quotations issued at 7%, invoices at 8%, and progress claims at 9%. Each document needs its own GST snapshot. Xero applies the current org-wide GST rate to everything.
gstRateAtIssue on every quotation and invoice. Historical numbers stay accurate even after rate changes. This is by design — see the quotation API reference.Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Zeng Book | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Quotations with sections (BQ format) | Native — sections + items + retention | Flat line items only |
| Quotation → invoice conversion | One click, preserves GST + retention snapshot | Manual copy, no snapshot |
| Progress claims with cumulative totals | Built-in — shows previously claimed | Manual — each invoice is independent |
| GST snapshot per document | Yes (gstRateAtIssue) | Org-wide rate applied to all |
| Public portal for client to accept | Token-gated link, no signup needed | Not available |
| SG-specific fields (UEN, GST reg no.) | Built into the org profile | Custom fields workaround |
| Bank reconciliation | Not yet | Best-in-class |
| Statutory filings (GST F5) | Not yet | Built-in |
| Chart of accounts | Not yet | Built-in |
When to pick Zeng Book only
Solo or small renovation firms doing <S$500k/year revenue, billing clients directly, with no employees or simple expense tracking. The Free or Starter plan covers everything. You file GST F5 yourself once a quarter using the totals from your invoices.
When to pick Xero only
Firms that don't issue many quotations or progress claims — maintenance contractors with flat monthly invoices, design consultancies billing time, suppliers who issue simple POs. Xero will do everything you need.
When to use both (the typical case)
Most growing construction firms in Singapore end up with both tools. The pattern that works:
- Zeng Book is the source of truth for quotations, invoices, retention, progress claims, and the client-facing portal.
- Xero is the source of truth for the chart of accounts, bank reconciliation, payroll, and statutory filings.
- Paid invoices sync from Zeng Book to Xero so your AR balance is correct without double entry.
The first-party Zeng Book → Xero sync is on our roadmap for Q3 2026. Until then, customers connect the two through Make or n8n in about an hour — see the automation guide or sign up for the notify-when-live list.
Bottom line
Don't replace your accountant with Zeng Book — you'll struggle at year-end. Don't try to run a renovation firm out of Xero — your project managers will give up and go back to spreadsheets within a month. Use Zeng Book for the work that happens before money hits the bank, and Xero for what happens after.
What to do next
- Start a free Zeng Book workspace and import your existing client list.
- See all the features — projects, quotations, retention, progress claims, documents.
- Add yourself to the Xero notify list for when the first-party sync ships.